SALT LAKE CITY — Michael Jayne, the man accused of killing Santaquin police Sergeant Bill Hooser, will be represented in court by private attorneys. But they will not be from the Utah County Public Defender's Office, which said it has too many murder cases to handle at this time.

Instead, Rudy Bautista and Jonathan Nish take over Jayne’s case.

Jayne is charged with nine felonies, including aggravated murder, in connection with the death of Santaquin Police Sergeant Bill Hooser on May 5, 2024. Jayne is accused of intentionally driving a tractor-trailer at Hooser and then striking and killing him.

If charged with aggravated murder, the death penalty is possible.

Utah County will continue to pay for Jayne's representation even though the public defender's office is no longer involved, Bautista said.

Not an unusual situation

KSL legal analyst Greg Skordas said this situation is not unusual.

“In Utah, there is a group of attorneys who are what we call 'death case qualified.' We are attorneys who have tried a certain number of murder cases in court, have training in death penalty cases and can be appointed by the court in capital crimes,” Skordas said.

Bautista has tried capital crimes in the past. During those trials, lawyers generally try to get the death penalty off the table, Bautista said.

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